Role of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in inducing apoptosis and renal fibrosis in 5/6-nephrectomized rats

Lin,Xin; Zha,Yan; Zeng,Xiang‑Zhen; Dong,Rong; Wang,Qing‑Hua; Wang,Dong‑Tao

doi:10.3892/mmr.2017.6461

Role of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in inducing apoptosis and renal fibrosis in 5/6-nephrectomized rats

Authors:
- Xin Lin
- Yan Zha
- Xiang‑Zhen Zeng
- Rong Dong
- Qing‑Hua Wang
- Dong‑Tao Wang
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Affiliations: Department of Nephrology, People's Hospital of Guizhou Province, Guiyang, Guizhou 550002, P.R. China, Department of Nephrology, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, Hunan 417000, P.R. China, Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518033, P.R. China
Published online on: April 12, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2017.6461
Pages: 3575-3582
Copyright: © Lin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Renal fibrosis is the final common pathway of all progressive renal disease. Excessive and chronic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway results in chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. To mimic CKD, the present study used 5/6-nephrectomized rats, and alterations in kidney histology, expression of β‑catenin and renal cell apoptosis were assessed. In addition, mesangial cells were cultured in vitro and transfected with β‑catenin siRNA to evaluate the effect of blocking Wnt/β‑catenin signaling on cell apoptosis and the expression of markers of renal fibrosis. The results demonstrated that CKD rat kidney tissues exhibited moderate renal fibrosis and significantly increased expression levels of β‑catenin and apoptosis associated proteins compared with sham‑operated rats. In vitro, silencing of β-catenin by siRNA attenuated tumor necrosis factor‑α‑induced apoptosis and decreased mRNA expression levels of various markers of fibrosis, including fibronectin, transforming growth factor‑β, and collagen I, III and IV. In conclusion, inhibition of Wnt/β‑catenin signaling by β‑catenin silencing attenuated apoptosis and expression of fibrosis-associated markers in renal cells. The present study suggested that the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway may serve as a potential treatment strategy for renal fibrotic disorders.

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